Continuous cigarette-machine



' N. DU BRUL.

CONTINUOUS CIGARETTE MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED .IULY26. 1916.

1,812,525.. Patented Aug". 12, 1919.

2 SHEET8-SHEET x.

Illlll II N. DU BRUJL.

commuous CIGARETTE MACHINE.

Patented Ailg. 12,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

tobacco which is UNITED STATES PATN NAPOLEON DU BRUL, OF CINCINNATLOHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE MILLER, DU BRUL AND PETERS MANUFACTURING CO., OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OI-IIO.

CON TIN UOUS CIGARETTEJKAGHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug, 12, 11919.,

Application filed July 26, 1916. Serial No. 111,456.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NAPOLEON DU BRUL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Continuous Cigarette-Machines, oi which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to those portions of a continuous cigarette machine in which the filler material is formed into a rope and delivered in proper relation to a paper strip to be inclosed thereby. More specifically, it relates to the mounting for the scraper plate which is associated with the feed belt at the point where the tobacco leaves the belt and supports the tobacco rope as it passes over to the wrapper mechanism; also to the means for supporting and presenting the strip of wrapper paper in proper relation to receive the rope of filler from the scraper plate, and which is made adjustable to bring the paper in the exact relation to the filler to insure proper completion of the wrapper.

It has long been the practice to locate a scraper immediately beyond the crest of the wheel that supports the belt beneath the rope-forming disks, with an edge of the scraper in feeding relation to the belt, for the dual purpose of bridging the continuous body of tobacco from the belt to the wrapping mechanism, and of removing from the belt, particles of tobacco which might otherwise adhere and, accumulating, interfere with the proper operation of the mechanism. Such scrapers, usually in the form of a steel plate, are subjected to severe wear, not only from the belt with which they coact and which is usually of steel, but also from the appreciably abrasive in the condition in which it is fed; consequently, it is necessary to frequently adjust and at times to replace the scraper. But adjustment of these scrapers, as heretofore mounted, was not practicable without interrupting the operation of the machine, while to remove a scraper and replace it with another, involved not only complete. interruption of the operation, but more or less disarrangement of other parts and thereby entailed an expenditure of time in addition to the inconvenience, which materially aiiected economy of production in the output of the machine.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved mounting for scraper plates of the kind referred to, which will not only permit adjustment of the scraper relatively to the belt without displacing other parts, or even the interruption of the tobacco feed, but will greatly facilitate removing and replacing the scraper when necessary. Accordingly, one feature of the pres ent invention consists in mounting the scraper, not upon a portion of the machine located beneath the line of feed, but through the medium of a bracket which extends laterally away from the line of feed and is secured upon a support afiorded by a substantial portion of the machine to one side of the belt; this cured to permit setting up the scraperto- Ward the belt as the scraper wears away, and being readily detachable and adapted to bring away the scraper blade with it, so that it can be removed and have a new blade applied to it, and then replaced in position without disarranging other parts.

In machines of the class described, it is necessary to not only provide guide rollers for the paper strip and its supporting tape, but to locate these rollers as close as practicable to the center line of the compression disks which renders the rollers comparatively inaccessible, but it is necessary that their adjustment be imparted to them during the running of the paper strip, in order that the position of the paper may be observed in its relation to the wrapper tube, and it is very desirable to permit the tape and the paper to be placed over the ends of their respective guide rollers, in placing them in position, as distinguished from threading them through the parts.

Another object of the present invention is to provide mountings for the tape and paper guide rollers, through means of which the aforesaid several conditions of assembly and adjustment may be realized in-a simple but eflicient manner. Accordingly, another feature of the present invention consists in supporting these guide rollers upon spindles which project transversely of the line of feed, from the ends of angle arms whose supporting ends lie transversely of the line ing and clamping means within convenient reach of the operator, and cause an adjustment and fixing of these adjusting ends, to result in the assumption of new angular positions of the guide rollers, relatively to the line of feed, and consequently drive the paper strip and supporting tape to one side or the other of the'wrapper tube and position it accurately with relation to the pastin or other form of sealing means.

Tn machines of the class described, it is very desirable to provide a tape tensioning means, and it is also desirable to adapt such tensioning means to yield to an abnormal ull on the tape and to automatically resume its position and reestablish the predetermined tension of the tape, as soon as the disturbing condition (for instance a lump in the tobacco) has passed.

Another obj eet of the present invention is to provide a tape tensioning means readily adjustable at will to establish any desired tension to be normally imparted to the tape, but holding said tension yieldingly and returning to said tension automatically in case of a temporary disturbing condition in the filler material. Accordingly, another feature of the invention consists in providing a pair of rollers around which the tape is deflected,mounting these rollers in a rocking frame (preferably in the form of a yoke centered upon a rock shaft), so that the defiection of the tape may be increased or decreased at will, providing said shaft with means for adjusting it, such for instance as a worm wheel and a worm, angular toothed gears or the like, and sustaining the adjusting spindle of. the worm or gear through meansv of a spring, so that whatever the angular position imparted to the deflecting rollers, to, take up slack in the tape, the adjustment will be held yieldingly and reestablished automatically, in case an obstruction passes tl'irough the wrapper tube.

The invention will be fully understood upon reference to the accon'lpanying drawings, in which- Figures 1 and 2 are, respectively, a top plan view and a side elevation of the portion of a continuous cigarette machine with which the present invention is immediately concerned;

Fig. 3. is a detail perspective view of the scraper blade. and its supportingbrac'ket;

Fig. 4c is a detail perspective View showin the scraper blade, the tape and paper guide rol-lers,.the mountings for these parts, and the portions of the machine with which they are immediately associated,

1 represents the feed belt, commonly made of steel, 2 the guide wheel for said belt, 3 the laterally acting pressure disks mounted with. thetransverse line of their axes over the crest of the wheel 2, 4. the mounting for one of said disks, 5 the wrapper tube mounting, 6 the tape, and 7 the tape wheel, all of which parts may be constructed in a manner well known in the art prior to the date or the present application.

Supported from some suitable portion of the machine frame, such for instance as the mounting 1, is a table 8 (Fig. 1) to one side of the belt guiding wheel 2 and extending sufficiently forward of the crest of said wheel, in the direction of feed to serve as a support for a belt scraper blade. Mounted upon the table 8 is a bracket 9 having an attaching head 10 and a support ing arm 11, projecting laterally from the table 8 to a. position overhanging the belt wheel 2, and having detachably secured upon its overhanging portion, the scraper blade 12. The attaching head 10 is elongated in the direction of the belt 1 to secure the bracket 9 against tipping under the fric tion applied at its scraping end, and this head 1s detachably held in position by means of screws 13,. or equivalent means, passing through said head and the table 8; the openings in one of said parts being elongated to permit the bracket to be moved longitudinally of the belt and thus bring the scraping edge of the blade 12 into proper relation to the belt. The elongated openings are preferably through the table 8, and the screws 13 are introduced from below, through said openings and have their upper ends threaded into the head of the bracket. 7

The supporting arm 11, which preferably lies beneath the blade 12, is beveled as at 11 on the side adjacent to the belt, so as to permit close adjustment of the blade to the belt, and} the forward end of the blade 12 is beveled, as shown at 12, so as to not only maintain an eflicient scraping edge next to the belt, but to provide a level surface in continuation of the belt over which the to bacco will flow without obstruction, passing from the belt to the wrapping mechanism.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the blade 12 can be adjusted relatively to the belt 1, without disarranging any of the parts, by merely loosening the screws 13 and setting up the bracket toward the belt, this being done even while the stream of tobacco is continuing across the blade ifdes ired, and if it becomes necessary to replace the blade, it is merely necessary to remove the bracket 9 .with its attached blade, apply a new blade thereto, and re place the bracket in position without disarranging any of the other parts.

The tape guide roller 14 and the paper guide roller 15 are mounted upon the spindles 16 and 17: which project axially from the transverse arms 18 and 19 of the supporting members 18 and 19, which are pivoted at 20 and 21 in their said transverse arms and have angularly extending arms 18", 19', presented in such positions (preferably at right angles to the arms 18*, 19 as will render them conveniently adjustable by the screws 22, 23, having turning heads 24, 25, and threaded in the wall 26 in position to bear against said arms 18", 19 and develop angular adjustment in the spindles l6, l7. Screws 28, 29, projecting through slots 30, 31, in the arms 18 19 and receiving clamping nuts 3:2, 33, provide for locking the roller supports in any angular position to which they may be adjusted. These parts may be mounted upon any conveniently available substantial portion of the machine to one side of the line of feed, such for instance as the wrapper tube bracket 27, and when constructed and arranged as above described, will afiord simple and efficient means for conveniently developing minute V structi on passed.

angular adjustments in the tape and paper rollers which are so important to the perfeet working of a continuous cigarette machine.

In order to yieldingly maintain a predetermined adjustment in the tension of the tape 6, and automatically reestablish such adjustment in the event of temporary disturbance of the same, the tape is passed around the deflecting rollers 34:, mounted in a yoke 35 upon the rock shaft 36, which has fixedly mounted upon it, at a convenient point, a gear wheel 37 coa cting with a suitable gear wheel or worm 38, whose spindle 39 is adapted to be rotated by the head 40 in order to develop angular adjustments in the shaft 36 and yoke 35. Movement of the yoke 35 in the direction to slacken the tape, would develop a downward pull on the spindle 39 and this downward pull is re sisted by a compression spring a1 which surrounds the spindle. As a consequence of this arrangement, any temporary condition developing an abnormal pull upon the tape would be permitted to swing the yoke 35 and reduce the deflection or takeup in the tape, compressing the spring 41 in so doing, and this would relieve the tape imtil the ob But as soon as the obstruction passes, the spring 41 reestablishes the predetermined positions of the parts and consequently the desired tension on the tape or that suitable for the normal operation of the machine.

I claim 1. In a cigarette machine having a feed belt, a scraper for said belt having a bracketlike mounting supported and accessible for movement at one side of the feed belt and unattached at the other side.

2. In a cigarette machine having a feed belt, a scraper positioned to coact with the feed belt and extending laterally from the feed belt, and a bracket-like support for as w said scraper at one side of the feed belt, upon which said scraper is adjustable and unattached at the other side of the feed belt.

3. In a cigarette machine having a feed belt, a scraper positioned to coact with the feed belt and extending laterally from the feed belt-and a support for said scraper at one side of the feed belt, upon which said scraper is adjustable; said scraper comprising a blade lying in the plane of the belt, and a bracket to which said blade is at tached extending laterally from the blade to the support.

at. In a cigarette machine having a feed belt, a scraper positioned to coact with the feed belt and extending laterally from the feed belt, and a support for said scraper at one side of the feed belt, upon which said scraper is adjustable; said scraper comprising a blade lying in the plane of the belt, and a bracket to which said blade is attached extending laterally from the blade to the support; said bracket being constructed with a .bladesupporting arm and an attaching base.

5. In a cigarette machine having a feet belt, a scraper positioned to coact with the feed belt and extending laterally from the feed belt, and a support for said scraper at one side of the feed belt, upon which said scraper is adjustable; said scraper comprising a blade lying in the plane of the belt, and a bracket to which said blade is attached extending laterally from the blade to the support; said bracket being constructed with a blade-supporting arm and an attaching base; said supporting arm and blade, adjacent to the belt, being beveled to conform to the belt.

6. In a cigarette machine having a feed belt, a scraper positioned to coact with the feed belt and extending laterally from the feed belt, and a support for said scraper at one side of the feed belt, upon which said scraper is adjustable; said scraper compris ing a blade lying in the plane of the belt, and a bracket to which said blade is attached extending laterally from the blade to the support; said bracket being constructed with a blade-supporting arm and an attaching base; said attaching base being elongated in the direction of the bel 7. In a cigarette machine having a feed belt, a scraper positioned to coact with the feed belt and extending laterally from the feed belt, and a support for said scraper at one side of the feed belt, upon which said scraper is adjustable; said scraper comprising a blade lying in the plane of the belt, and a bracket to which said blade is attached extending laterally from the blade to the support; said bracket being constructed with a blade-supporting arm and an attaching base; said attaching base being provided with securing means uniting the base with its support, and screws entering slots in one of the parts to permit adjustment of the bracket in the direction to set the scraping edge of the blade up to the belt.

8. In a cigarette machine having a tobacco feeding belt and disks acting upon the tobacco fed by said belt, a scraper blade positioned to coaot with the belt at a point beneath the disks, a supporting table 1oeated beneath one of said disks and to one side of the belt, and a bracket adjustably supported on said table and projecting beneath the scraper blade.

9. In a cigarette machine, the combination with a tape for feeding tobacco, of a tensioning device comprising a guide roller for said tape, and a mounting for said guide roller comprising an arm lying substantially transversely to the travel: of the tape, having a pivotal mounting upon the machine, carrying the guide roller upon one end thereof, and having beyond its pivot, an adjusting arm with means for adjusting it and shifting the mounting upon its pivot.

10. In a cigarette machine, the combination with a tape for feeding tobacco, of a tensioningdevice comprising a guide roller mounted transversely to the tape, and asup port for said guide roller comprising an angle bar having an arm lying transversely of the machine, with the guide roller projecting axially therefrom, and with a pivot in said transversely lying arm, and adjusting means eoacting with said support.

11. In a cigarette machine, the combination with a tape for feeding tobacco, of a tensioning device comprising a guide roller and means for supporting said roller with angular adjustment comprising an angle bar having one arm in alinement with the guide roller and pivotally mounted through the medium of said alining arm, and having another arm extending at an angle to said alining arm and provided with adjusting means acting transversely thereon.

12. In a cigarette machine, the combination with a tape for feeding tobacco, of a tensioning device comprising an angle bar having a transverse arm and a longitudinal arm, )ivotally mounted upon the machine through the medium of its transverse arm, a guide roller projecting axially from the end of the transverse arm, and an adjusting screw acting transversely upon the longitudinal arm.

13. In a. cigarette machine, the combination with a tape for feeding tobacco, of a tensioning device comprising an angle bar having a transverse arm and a longitudinal arm, pivotally mounted upon the machine through the medium of its transverse arm.

usted.

14:. In a cigarette machine, the combination with a paper strip tape, and a tensioning device comprising a pair of angle bars each having a transverse arm and a longitudinal arm and independently pivoted upon the machine through the medium of their respective transverse arms, a tape guide roller and a paper guide roller projecting xially from the respective transverse arms, and a pair of adjusting members acting independently and in a transverse direction upon the respective longitudinal arms of the bars. r

15. In a cigarette machine, the combinationwith a tape for feeding tobacco, of a tensioning means comprising deflecting rollers, a mounting for saidrollers adjustable to vary their angular relation to the line of the tape and thereby vary the tension upon the tape, means for imparting adjustment to said rollers, and a yielding support for the adjusting means.

16. In a cigarette machine, a tape tensioning means embodying a guide roller around which the tape is deflected, having a swin ing movement to vary the deflection of the tape, a sustaining spindle resisting said swinging movement, and a resilient support for said spindle, yielding to permit swinging movement of the roller under an abnormal pull upon the tape.

17. In a cigarette machine, the combination with a tape for feeding tobacco, of a tape tensioning means comprising a yoke, deflecting rollers mounted 011 said yoke, a shaft supporting said yoke, a gear wheel on said shaft, an adjusting member for said gear Wheel, an adjusting spindle for said adjusting member, and a spring sustaining said adjusting spindle in the direction of its axis. V

The fore oing specification signed at Cincinnati, fihio, this 21st day of July, 1916.

NAPOLEON DU BRUL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

' Washington, D. G. 

